[B-Greek] Re: 3rd person passive imperative

Doug Hoxworth dhoxworth at charter.net
Fri Aug 29 12:42:30 EDT 2003


><Herb Torres>
>I have been looking at Acts 2:38 and I am not sure how to translate the 3rd person passive imperative. How can a person stress the "3rd person"? I have seen translations such as "Let each one..." yet this simply stresses the singular. How can one ephasize the 3rd person?

<doug>
yes that is difficult since English doesn't really have or 
use a third person imperative. "let each one/person be 
baptized..." or "each person/one must be baptized..." is 
probably the best approximation to try and capture that 
3rd person passive imperative.

perhaps with the 2nd and 3rd together if you want a 
semi-functionally equivalent translation, "every one of 
you [all] must repent (2 pl) and each [one/person] must be 
baptized (3 sg)..."

These translations do this relatively well:

God's Word: Peter answered them, "All of you must turn to 
God and change the way you think and act, and each of you 
must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ so that your 
sins will be forgiven. Then you will receive the Holy 
Spirit as a gift.

Holman Christian Standard: "Repent," Peter said to them, 
"and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus the 
Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will 
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.



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